Thank you, and congrats, likewise, on your acceptance at Nebraska! Sounds like a solid program with fantastic faculty. Lincoln's a neat, progressive town. And their football games are something to be seen.
I haven't heard the rumors about the CW PhD not being taken seriously, but then, I don't intend to seek teaching jobs that don't have at least some CW component to them. Who told you this, and what were their reasons? Everyone I know who's gone through a top-tier CW PhD program has landed some sort of teaching gig that doesn't seem half bad. Many still complain about their jobs, but that seems to be a teacher's prerogative. But if you want to teach at Yale, that's another story.
As for funding, I don't really want to get into it on a public forum, but suffice it to say funding's included in the offer.